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Celebrity Opinions & Praise For Liam Neeson (EP.105)
Summary
The term “celebrity opinions” is neither an oxymoron, nor is it a signal that we are about to hear the truth. “Expert opinion” is different. A celebrity is clearly qualified to give an expert opinion in their sport or art, but that’s it. Kanye West and Robert De Niro can give a legitimate expert opinion on rap or acting, respectively, but their opinions on finance or politics, are about as valuable, as, well, my opinions on rap and acting.
For the next 10 minutes, we will unpack the difference between opinions from experts, and opinions from non-experts who have all the credibility on the subject matter at hand as, well, the guy in front of you in the line for coffee or movie tickets. (And I have not forgotten about Liam Neeson.)
Transcript
The term “celebrity opinions” is neither an oxymoron, nor is it a signal that we are about to hear the truth. “Expert opinion” is different. A celebrity is clearly qualified to give an expert opinion in their sport or art, but that’s it. Kanye West and Robert De Niro can give a legitimate expert opinion on rap or acting, respectively, but their opinions on finance or politics, are about as valuable, as, well, my opinions on rap and acting.
For the next 10 minutes, we will unpack the difference between opinions from experts, and opinions from non-experts who have all the same credibility on the subject matter at hand as, well, the guy in front of you in the line for coffee or movie tickets. (And I have not forgotten about Liam Neeson.)
Even celebrities like the Kardashians are experts in their field, this “field” being getting rich over being famous for being famous. Like Zsa Zsa Gabor before them, that’s what they do. And elements of our society have rewarded them handsomely them for it.
Why is it that we not only listen to celebrities when they hold forth on topics like politics and economics, but we take what they have to say to heart? I want to hear what a starting running back in the NFL has to say about the sport in general, and specific topics like the need to set up the running game to bolster the passing game. I enjoy listening to experts, and I could very easily learn something. I am happy to listen to him talk about politics, but I would give his thoughts on that subject about the same weight as he would my comments about how best to plan and execute a winning NFL running game. Politics is not his expertise, and football is not mine. We should both listen to each other as individual non-experts, entitled to our opinions. But no more. Yes, we can each hope to be heard as we recite our own story, our personal view of the subjects, but as legitimate as those stories are, they are just that: one person’s story. These stories are highly anecdotal, with no statistical significance at all, and no expertise being used to advance the thinking on the matter at hand. All of that seems obvious.
So why do we do listen to celebrities when they are talking outside of their expertise?? Do we believe that actors who play successful politicians in a movie actually have political expertise? Did we believe that when Robert Redford played in “The Natural”, that he had could have been a superstar baseball player? Do we believe that a singer who has a hit song about how things should be, actually knows about how to change the world along the lines of the way things should be? I don’t think any of these things are true. Do you?
Today’s Key Point: With the decline of critical thinking, both in education and in the public debate, we no longer have that critical thinking as a standard by which to filter and judge the validity and worth of what we are seeing and hearing. This leaves a gap, and we have substituted popularity and notoriety in its place. We have traded critical thinking for having our opinions given to us by “celebrities.
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By Will LudenSummary
The term “celebrity opinions” is neither an oxymoron, nor is it a signal that we are about to hear the truth. “Expert opinion” is different. A celebrity is clearly qualified to give an expert opinion in their sport or art, but that’s it. Kanye West and Robert De Niro can give a legitimate expert opinion on rap or acting, respectively, but their opinions on finance or politics, are about as valuable, as, well, my opinions on rap and acting.
For the next 10 minutes, we will unpack the difference between opinions from experts, and opinions from non-experts who have all the credibility on the subject matter at hand as, well, the guy in front of you in the line for coffee or movie tickets. (And I have not forgotten about Liam Neeson.)
Transcript
The term “celebrity opinions” is neither an oxymoron, nor is it a signal that we are about to hear the truth. “Expert opinion” is different. A celebrity is clearly qualified to give an expert opinion in their sport or art, but that’s it. Kanye West and Robert De Niro can give a legitimate expert opinion on rap or acting, respectively, but their opinions on finance or politics, are about as valuable, as, well, my opinions on rap and acting.
For the next 10 minutes, we will unpack the difference between opinions from experts, and opinions from non-experts who have all the same credibility on the subject matter at hand as, well, the guy in front of you in the line for coffee or movie tickets. (And I have not forgotten about Liam Neeson.)
Even celebrities like the Kardashians are experts in their field, this “field” being getting rich over being famous for being famous. Like Zsa Zsa Gabor before them, that’s what they do. And elements of our society have rewarded them handsomely them for it.
Why is it that we not only listen to celebrities when they hold forth on topics like politics and economics, but we take what they have to say to heart? I want to hear what a starting running back in the NFL has to say about the sport in general, and specific topics like the need to set up the running game to bolster the passing game. I enjoy listening to experts, and I could very easily learn something. I am happy to listen to him talk about politics, but I would give his thoughts on that subject about the same weight as he would my comments about how best to plan and execute a winning NFL running game. Politics is not his expertise, and football is not mine. We should both listen to each other as individual non-experts, entitled to our opinions. But no more. Yes, we can each hope to be heard as we recite our own story, our personal view of the subjects, but as legitimate as those stories are, they are just that: one person’s story. These stories are highly anecdotal, with no statistical significance at all, and no expertise being used to advance the thinking on the matter at hand. All of that seems obvious.
So why do we do listen to celebrities when they are talking outside of their expertise?? Do we believe that actors who play successful politicians in a movie actually have political expertise? Did we believe that when Robert Redford played in “The Natural”, that he had could have been a superstar baseball player? Do we believe that a singer who has a hit song about how things should be, actually knows about how to change the world along the lines of the way things should be? I don’t think any of these things are true. Do you?
Today’s Key Point: With the decline of critical thinking, both in education and in the public debate, we no longer have that critical thinking as a standard by which to filter and judge the validity and worth of what we are seeing and hearing. This leaves a gap, and we have substituted popularity and notoriety in its place. We have traded critical thinking for having our opinions given to us by “celebrities.